The Sickness Turbulence
by WriterLiz88
Summary: When Penny collapses in her bed, the gang finds out some horrible news. How will they react and what will happen? Contains Leonard and Penny romance, and Penny s friendship with all of the characters. **CHAPTER FIVE IS UP! READ AND REVIEW.. AND ENJOY!** :)
1. Chapter 1

"Leonard?" Penny called out from her bedroom. "I don`t feel so good," she complained, as Leonard entered the room.

"Too much bible juice last night?" Leonard quipped.

Penny managed to roll her eyes. "No," she said. "I just feel all dizzy, and-"

she fainted.

"Penny?" Leonard said, his voice rising. Panicking. "Penny?"

There was no response.

Quickly, knowing he shouldn`t move her, he dug out his cell phone from his pocket and dialed an ambulance.

He swallowed. "Yes, hi. My fianceé just complained of dizziness and," he swallowed. "Now she`s unconscious. We need an ambulance, please."

The ambulance and paramedics arrived an agonizing five minutes later. In his haste, Leonard left Penny`s door open.

"Leonard?" Sheldon`s distinct voice filled the room, as Leonard watched the paramedics check Penny. Shit. He took a deep breath, and turned to face his best friend.

"Leonard, what`s going on?" Sheldon`s face was filled with worry and confusion.

"Come on buddy, let`s go to the living room and talk for a minute," Leonard said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Sheldon took an uncomfortable seat on Penny`s sofa.

"Penny was complaining of a headache in bed this morning, and then she fainted. The paramedics are just here to check on her, I am sure she`s fine."

Sheldon looked unconvinced and was about to say something, when a paramedic came out of the room to talk to them.

"Sir?"

Leonard jumped a little at the surprise. "How is she?"

"Her vitals are cause for worry," the paramedic said. "We are going to take her to the hospital."

Sheldon tried to speak, but couldn`t get the words out.

"We will be right behind you," Leonard said, his voice shaking. This was his worst nightmare, losing someone he loved so much. The paramedics took Penny on a stretcher and left the room.

"Leonard?" Sheldon`s voice was scared.

"I wish I could tell you everything will be fine, Sheldon, but I don`t know. Are you coming to the hospital with me or not?"

Sheldon nodded. "Yes, I`m coming with you. Of course I am. Penny is my best friend."

Leonard felt his throat constrict. "I know she is, buddy. I know."

He fumbled with his car keys.

"I need you to do me a favour please," Leonard asked, as they got into the car. "Can you phone Amy, and let her know what is going on? Tell Amy to tell the others and we will meet them at the hospital."

Sheldon nodded, and dialed the phone.

The gang rushed into the waiting room, where Leonard and Sheldon sat silently.

"What happened?" Bernadette asked breathlessly, worried. Raj hugged Leonard, who spoke.

"They took her to the ER to give her a brain scan," Leonard said.

Howard was shocked. "A what?"

Amy sank into a seat next to Sheldon, who uncharacteristically took her hand. She held it tightly.

"She was complaining of a headache in the morning, and now this." Leonard`s voice cracked, and his eyes filled with tears. "It was just supposed to be a little headache. If we lose her-"

"Don`t think like that," Bernadette said, her eyes filling with tears as well. Howard embraced her.

"Let`s just calm down," he said. "We don`t know anything right now."

The group sat quietly, until a doctor came to them.

"Are you the family of Penny?" he said, as they stood up.

Leonard spoke. "I`m her fiancé, and yes, they are family too. What is it, Doctor?"

The doctor sighed. "I am afraid I have some bad news."

**Next: What is happening to Penny? How will her friends and Leonard react****?**

**Please Review- It helps the chapters come more quickly :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, thanks everyone for the wonderful comments! As a thank you: another chapter. :) Enjoy and please remember to comment! :) This was just written at the top of my head, so I hope it lives up to your expectations. I plan to have a few more chapters. **

Leonard cleared his throat. "Yes?_"_

"I`m so sorry to tell you this, but there seems to be a tumor in Penny`s brain. " The doctor, Dr. Williams, for his part, looked sympathetic.

"A tumor?" Amy said, aghast. Sheldon echoed her sentiments. "What do you mean, a tumor?"

"There is a mass on Penny`s brain," the doctor said calmly.

Leonard swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. "Wouldn`t she have felt something?"

"You did mention she had been having quite a few headaches recently," Dr. Williams explained. "That`s often a sign of more serious things. Penny has probably been experiencing discomfort for some time, but might not have had need or wanted to mention anything."

"Damnit," Leonard swore, sinking onto the cold, hard chair of the waiting room. He rubbed his eyes, which were starting to fill with tears. Howard sat beside him, squeezing his arm.

"What`s the plan of action, Doctor?" Amy asked, trying to remain calm for Sheldon. Not that she would admit it to anyone, but she felt like she would throw up. Her insides were twisting and turning, like a roller coaster.

Dr. Williams spoke gently. "We are taking her into surgery right now," he explained. "It is our hope that we can get the whole tumor out. If she survives this, she will most likely additionally need radiation and chemotherapy."

Leonard crumbled at Dr. William`s words.

"Doctor?" Sheldon, who had been unusually quiet, spoke. "What are her chances of survival? Please answer honestly."

"Sheldon-" Bernadette spoke, her eyes filled with tears.

"I need to know, Bernadette," he said firmly. He repeated the question.

Dr. Williams sighed.

"Perhaps 65% if the surgery goes well," he answered. "Please don`t lose hope though," he said to the group. "Penny will need your strength and support during this time."

Sheldon got up abruptly, and rushed out of the room.

"Sheldon-" Leonard started to get up. He was tired of having to exert the energy of having to deal with Sheldon, even though he understood how difficult this was for him.

"I`ve got this," Amy assured Leonard, and followed her boyfriend. Leonard sighed in relief, his eyes filling with tears for the upteenth time that day. Raj sat down next to him, and put his arms around his friend. The two of them cried.

"Please excuse me," Dr. Williams said. "I have to go. I will keep you updated as the surgery progresses."

"Dr. Williams, please take care of our friend," Bernadette said. "You can`t possibly know this, but she is very special to us all."

Dr. Williams smiled at the blonde. "I will do my best," he promised her.

"Sheldon?" Amy`s voice came up behind him. "I thought I`d find you here."

The two stood in the hospital`s nursery, looking at smiling and laughing newborns.

"Not much confuses me, Amy. As you know, I`m a genius," Sheldon said. Amy waited patiently for Sheldon to continue.

"But-" he continued. "I am confused as to why this is happening to Penny."

"I don`t think there is always an explanation for things like this, Sheldon," Amy said gently, taking his hand. "Sometimes, bad things happen to good people."

Sheldon shook his head. "It`s not fair," he said stubbornly.

Amy fought back tears. "No, you`re right. It`s not fair. I know how hard this is for you," she said, shooting him a look as he was about to object.

Amy continued. "She`s your best friend. But, this is hard for Leonard too, and for Raj, and Howard, and Bernadette, and me as well. We have to be there for each other and help each other. Can you do that? Leonard is your best friend too, and needs you a lot right now."

Sheldon nodded. "I can do that," he said.

"Okay," Amy replied, rubbing his arm comfortingly. "Let`s go and see the others."

Sheldon and Amy returned to the waiting room, where the others were dealing with this in their own way. Howard was pacing the room, back and forth, Raj was aimlessly checking his cell phone, and Bernadette was now sitting with Leonard.

Sheldon cleared his throat.

"Leonard, stand up please," he ordered to his friend.

Confused, Leonard looked at him. "Stand up please," Sheldon asked again.

Leonard stood, and Sheldon moved toward him, embracing him in a hug. Leonard returned the gesture, and the two hugged each other for a long while.

"Thanks, Sheldon," Leonard said, releasing him. "That means a lot."

"I am sorry about Penny," Sheldon said.

Leonard nodded, motioning Sheldon to sit down.

"Now, we wait," he sighed. "If only today was a bad dream."

Time had moved by at a snail`s pace; five hours seeming like fifty. The doctor had come to inform them twice about the surgery, which had been going successfully. Everybody had tentatively sighed with relief.

"Is anyone hungry?" Bernadette spoke up.

She was met by grunts and "No`s."

"Me neither," she sighed. "Just thought I`d ask."

Bernadette looked at Amy, who had Sheldon`s head in her lap. He had fallen asleep an hour ago.

"He looks cute when he sleeps." She managed a small smile to Amy, who returned the smile.

"Agreed," Amy stated. "He`s quiet, too."

Dr. Williams came into the room. Leonard jumped up.

"How is she?" he asked worriedly.

He held up his hands. "There were complications, but she`s alive. We were able to remove a good chunk of the tumor, but were unable to remove it completely, as she had a few complications and too much blood loss. She will have to have chemotherapy and radiation to remove the tumor completely."

"Is she awake? May we see her?" Leonard`s voice was rising.

Dr. Williams hesitated. "She will be sleeping and recovering for quite awhile, but I don`t see why not. One at a time though, please, and not for very long."

Sheldon, who had woken up at the Doctor`s words, stood up. Naturally, he would be going first. He looked at Amy, who shook her head at him.

No. Of course he would not be going first. Boyfriend trumps best friend.

Sheldon sighed. "Leonard, of course you may commence. But, please let me see her after you."

Leonard nodded at his best friend.

"Follow me, please, Leonard," Dr. Williams said, as the two left the room.

**Next: Each character has some time alone with Penny. **

**Read and Review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N 1: Thank you all for your wonderful, humbling reviews! I`ve never had such supportive and lovely reviews before! And considering this is my first Big Bang fanfiction, makes it all the more wonderful. Thank you to everyone for brightening up my day!**

**A/N 2: Sorry about the formatting, I can only use Copy/Paste so my paragraphs are lacking. I will try harder to to fix it. **

**Sorry also about the angst! It will get better..I promise. I won`t let my fans down. (But, angst also makes great writing material).**

**Enjoy this chapter, and.. as always, please read and review! :) xo **

**(Howard, Amy, and Sheldon`s POV will be coming in the following chapter.)**

**I just deleted this chapter by mistake and had to re-write it, so reviews are extra appreciated. :)**

Leonard:

Leonard followed Dr. Williams into Penny`s room, stifling a gasp as he saw Penny unconscious in the hospital bed, looking pale. Wires were

poking out of her, every which way. Penny, who usually looked happy and joyful, always laughing, was unmoving, lifeless. It made Leonard`s heart

jump.

"Damnit, Penny," he swore, sitting down on the chair beside Penny, and taking her hand in his. "If only I had known- if I had seen.." his voice

trailed off, and they were swallowed by sobs. He struggled to get his composure. "I feel so guilty," he admitted to his fiancée. "You are the most

important thing in the world to me, and I should have seen something was off. Penny, you are the love of the life, and I can`t do this without you. I

won`t go through life without you. Please wake up, sweetie." He looked at Penny, but the only thing indicating she was alive was the semi-comforting

sound of the heart rate monitor, indicating that she was still breathing. "You are going to get through this, Penny," he said, as though he was really

convincing himself. "You just have to. Everyone is a mess too. We all love you so much, honey. Please, please.. just wake up. Don`t leave me."

There was no sound, no movement from Penny. He laid his head on her stomach and let his tears run down his face. Leonard did something

he had not done since he was a child- he prayed.

**Bernadette:**

Bernadette entered after a shaken Leonard had left the room. She hesitated before going to Penny`s bedside and taking her hand.

"Sheldon was supposed to come next, but he`s scared so I told him I would come next. I don`t think I`ve ever seen him scared before, Penny. It`s

such a strange thing." Bernadette paused.

"This is so fucking surreal," she said sadly, shaking her head. "Tonight was supposed to be a wine and chat session in your apartment, and

now you`re lying here in this hospital bed." Tears ran down her face although she brushed them off. "Amy said we should talk to you, because you

can hear us, so here we go. This is going to get sappy- so brace youself." Bernadette let out a small laugh in spite of herself. "I`m sure you`ve had

enough sappiness to last you the rest of your life, so I`m sorry. You need to hear this, though."

She took a deep breath and continued, squeezing Penny`s hand.

"I don`t think you know how special you are," she said. "Not many people are like you, Penny. You just inherently _get_ people, and to be

honest, it`s what I admire so much about you. You understand people`s differences and celebrate them. You put up with Leonard talking about his

job all the time, even if you might not understand it. You put up with Sheldon, and honestly, understand him more than we ever will- I don`t know

how you do it. You understand me, and Amy, and Howard, and Raj, too, even if we are all a bit crazy. You love us, and we love you. Please don`t

leave us, Penny. I promise, we can get through this together. Just wake up, please. "

There was no answer.

Bernadette sighed, wiping her eyes, and leaning to kiss Penny on the forehead. "I love you, Penny. We all do, and we will be here for you

when you decide to wake up."

**Raj:**

"You know what my favourite memory of you is, Penny?" Raj stood standing, not wanting to sit down and overstay his welcome. "The day that

I broke up with Lucy and you came to check on me. I started talking to you, not having had a drink." He smiled at the memory. "It was that day

when I realized how much time I had wasted not having the opportunity to talk to you." Raj paused, collecting his thoughts.

"I think I was intimidated by you," he admitted. "A girl as beautiful as you wanting to come visit us, spend time with us.. or.." he laughed.

"Maybe just wanting to eat our food. But, the years passed, and you have become so much more than just a food moocher. You are one of the most

important people in our group, Penny. You are just as geeky in your own way as we are, and love us just the same. You are the rock that holds all

of us misfits together. You are our family, and I absolutely forbid you to leave us. You have to fight, and wake up. Penny, just wake up. I don`t think

I`ve seen Sheldon scared before this, Leonard is acting like a zombie, Howard doesn`t know what to do, and Amy and Bernadette won`t stop crying.

Only you can fix this. Just wake up," he said in desperation.

But again, alas, there was no answer. Just the beeping of the machine on the wall.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for the sweet reviews! More please! A little light at the end of the tunnel at the end of this chapter :) **

**Howard:**

It felt strange, really- being in a hospital room by himself, with Penny. The two were friends, yes, but it was rare that the two of them were

alone together. It was also no secret that Bernadette was closer to Penny than he was. However, seeing Penny laying on the bed, un moving, made

Howard`s heart feel like jumping out of his chest.

"Can you just wake up, please?" Howard said, taking a seat. "I`ll even let you tease me relentlessly, like you always do." He laughed.

"Maybe Sheldon will even relinquish his spot to you." Chucking, Howard rethought his previous remark. "No, never mind, we both know that will

never happen."

Howard paused, collecting his thoughts. "I know we`ve never been as close as the others, Penny, but I really care about you. And if there`s one

thing I learned about my mom dying, it`s that you should tell people you love them, before.." he cleared his throat. "Before it`s too late. Penny,

you gave me the greatest gift. You gave me Bernie. I will forever be grateful to you. Please, wake up so I can tell you that in person." He squeezed

her hand. "Amỳ`s been begging to go next, so I`d better let her.. or else she will most likely be brainstorming how to make another life-size portrait

of the two of you. We all know how much you liked the first one."

He paused, half expecting a laugh.

"Sweet dreams, Penny. Wake up soon."

**Amy:**

Amy entered minutes later. "Hey, bestie," she said, trying to sound stern. "Now, you listen here. My neuroscience research has stated that

people can hear even when they are asleep, so listen up. You are going to ake up, and you are going to get through this. It will be difficult but you

will, because of the person you are. You, my gorgeous bestie, are strong, determined, and loved. You are loved, Penny, by all of us weirdos.I know I

make that blatantly clear..but I also know that you love us too, so just wake up. Everyone is a mess. Sheldon is convinced singing "Soft Kitty" will

help wake you up." She laughed. "Who knows? Maybe it will. We all know how Sheldon`s voice could make glass break."

Amy stared at the sleeping blonde girl. "You know, until I met Sheldon, I had no friends. And now, I have you, and all the others as my friends

too. Honestly, Penny, I don`t know if I can handle Sheldon y myself- you are the only other person that really understands him. He is so confused

and overwhelmed right now. I don`t think I`ve seen him this upset since Professor Proton died."

She leaned over Penny and whispered. "Enough silliness. Open your eyes. It can`t be that difficult. Tough love; look it up sometime."

**Sheldon:**

_ Knock knock knock. _"Penny." _Knock knock knock. _"Penny." _Knock knock knock. _"Penny." (Sheldon whispered this in a soft voice.) When he got

no answer, he sighed. "I might as well go in anyways," he said to himself, in a resigned sort of voice. Now, where to sit?

"You are making this very difficult, Penny," he said to Penny sternly, eyeing the hard, plastic chair beside the bed, that likely was manifested

with germs. He finally settled for the end of Penny`s bed, and stared at her, as if staring hard enough could make her open her eyes.

"This is all very difficult for me. As a scientist, I like to figure out the answers to questions, and I just cannot figure this one out. You are my best

friend besides Leonard, (you got lucky, I know), but I do not know why this is happening to you. Amy says that bad things sometimes happen to good

people. I suppose she is right. You cannot just leave Leonard, and Amy, or I will never hear the end of it. And," Sheldon faltered. "You can`t leave

me. I need you in my life, Penny. Who else will make me spaghetti with cut up hot dogs, and only roll her eyes once? Who else will sing Soft Kitty to

me when I am sick? I have all these people in my life Penny, people that I care about, but there is only one you."

He cleared his throat. "Since you are sick, it is obligatory that I sing Soft Kitty to you." He started.

_Soft Kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur,_

_ Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr._

There was no answer. Sheldon sighed, and hesitantly touched Penny`s hand. "Wake up, Penny?"

Penny stirred, slightly.

"Penny?!" Sheldon`s voice became delighted. "Penny!"

"Sweetie," Penny mumbled. "Quiet please. Need water. "

"After this," Sheldon said happily, reaching across the bed to give her a much-needed hug. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Penny."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I seem to be getting less of them lately though; hope people are not getting disinterested in the story! Sorry for the time delay, I had to think this one through more than the others. I really hope you enjoy though! Please continue to read and review; they make my week! Seriously :) Also, if you have any suggestions or things you would like to see in the story, I am open to suggestions! I`m having a bit of writer`s block :)**

Sheldon had gleefully gathered the others and had told them the news, and with disregard to the Doctor`s previous instruction of only one

person in the room, they had all crammed into Penny`s room, smothering her with hugs and kisses. Penny had accepted it, but only when Sheldon

went back for a second hug, Penny did a double take.

"Okay, what on earth is going on?" she asked. "Sheldon hates hugging, and I`ve had two hugs from him today.

Sheldon nodded in the affirmative. "As always Penny, you are correct. However, under these strange circumstances.."

"What circumstance would that be, Sheldon?" Penny asked.

"I`ll tell her, Sheldon." Leonard took Penny`s hand and squeezed it. "Do you remember anything?"

Penny thought a moment. "I remember having a headache, but that`s all."

"You fainted, Penny. I brought you to the hospital."

Penny looked at Leonard. Years of knowing each other made it easy to tell when someone was omitting the truth.

"There`s something else though, isn`t there. What are you not telling me?" she said slowly, trying to fight herself and remain calm.

Leonard looked stricken, and looked to the group for help. This was harder than he could imagine.

"Penny, they found a tumor on your brain. That`s why you`ve been having so many headaches."

He held her as she collapsed into his arms, millions of emotions coursing throughout her body. Penny held Leonard, but looked at Sheldon

for stability. It was comforting to have a friend that would be strong, and not show any emotion. She needed someone to be strong for her right now

and Sheldon was just that. A rock. Never moving, never unflinching. Penny was sure that this was hard on Sheldon as well-the hugging was definite

proof of that, but he just held her gaze firmly, and nodded.

"They did surgery on your brain," Amy added, another person for which Penny was grateful could give her just the medical facts. Of course,

Amy held more emotion on her face than Sheldon did. "They were able to get a great chunk of it out, but they couldn`t get it all. Hopefully with

chemotherapy and radiation, you will be able to be in remission quickly and lead a normal life."

Nothing in her life would ever be normal again, Penny reasoned to her herself. Speaking of normal.. and life.. she bolted out of Leonard`s

arms in a panic.

"I have to go home," she said anxiously. "I don`t have insurance yet. How am I going to pay for all this?"

Bernadette and Raj shared a smile between them, Bernadette coming to Penny`s other side and taking her hand.

"Are you forgetting about something?" she asked Penny mischievously.

Penny paused, but was too tired to guess. "Probably."

"Money isn`t an issue for Raj and I," Bernadette continued. Penny still looked confused. "We will pay for your treatments, Penny.. and the

guys and Amy are going to pay your rent and groceries for awhile. We don`t want you to worry about anything. We just.. we just want you to get

better."

Penny`s eyes filled with tears as she hugged Bernadette, and motioned for Raj to come over to hug him too.

"I know I shouldn`t accept this so easily," she said, "But thank you. I love you all so much."

"We love you, too." Amy said, and Sheldon nodded his agreement.

"How am I going to repay you?" Penny asked, yawning.

Sheldon`s eyes gleamed. "That is an excellent question, Penny," he proclaimed. "One that I have been thinking about for awhile."

"How about you make a promise to us that once a year, you will go to Comi-Con with us?"

Penny pondered. Her eyes felt heavy. "Okay," she agreed. "Playing dress-up once a year can`t be too bad."

"If I may beg your pardon, Penny, but a Comic Con is not just about playing dress up," Sheldon began, but Leonard shot him a look and Amy

nudged him to be quiet.

"Never mind," he muttered.

"Tired," Penny said sleepily.

"We will let you get some rest, Penny, and we will come back tomorrow," Amy said, as she made her way to Penny`s bedside to give her a

hug. The rest of the group followed, with Sheldon hugging Penny very gently.

"Thanks for Soft Kitty, Sheldon," Penny whispered, her eyes closed.

Sheldon smiled to himself. "Sweet dreams, Penny." he answered in reply.

Leonard curled up with Penny in the hospital bed, and within seconds, they were fast asleep.


End file.
